“Thank you.”
I calmly bowed my head.
If I refused, saying it was unnecessary, that would only give them a reason to be suspicious.
Since I couldn’t possibly find a burden that didn’t exist, it was better to accept the favor naturally.
It seemed my judgment wasn’t bad, as the Lord responded with satisfaction.
“Now that I think about it, it’s lunchtime. Have you eaten?”
He says this after showing up at lunchtime.
Of course I hadn’t eaten, and the other party surely knew that as well.
The response here was already decided.
“Is it lunchtime already? I was wondering why I felt a bit peckish.”
“Perfect timing. Our manor’s chef should be preparing the meal right now—shall we head over? It won’t take long by carriage.”
Honestly, it felt burdensome.
Fortunately, Margaret stepped in at just the right moment.
“Let’s just go to a restaurant nearby. Who knows when a patient might show up—how long would it take to go all the way to the manor and back?”
“The round trip wouldn’t even take forty minutes…”
“Eat, digest, ride a carriage—that’ll easily eat up two hours! Just eat somewhere close!”
“Very well…”
The Lord nodded with a deflated expression.
He looked disappointed, but he seemed to already know well that Margaret’s stubbornness couldn’t be overcome.
Still, for the restaurant owner suddenly faced with the Lord’s arrival, it must have been like a bolt from the blue.
And sure enough.
The moment the Lord stepped inside, the restaurant owner’s face went pale white.
Seeing that, Margaret shook her head and scolded the Lord—nothing new there.
“You ought to just wear a mask when you go out. Everyone’s scared, aren’t they?”
“Come now, what’s so wrong with my face? They’re just flustered because the Lord showed up.”
“You really think so? Flawi, you weigh in.”
The arrow suddenly turned toward me.
“That’s a difficult question to answer.”
“See?”
“…”
I hedged my answer, but anyone with sense would catch my meaning.
‘He does seem like a good Lord.’
It’s just that his face happens to devour all his good qualities.
‘Well, everyone has a flaw or two.’
Meanwhile, Priest Margaret sat down with practiced ease and placed an order.
“Owner, bring out the usual for three.”
“P-Priest Margaret. All three of you are having the same thing?”
“Is there anything else on the menu here besides that?”
“..I’ll have it ready in a moment.”
The owner scurried off to the kitchen as if fleeing.
Watching that, the Lord made a disgusted face and asked.
“It’s not that food again, is it, Priest Margaret?”
As a noble, the Lord seemed put off by the food common folk in his domain ate.
‘At least he’s earning his reputation.’
But that judgment vanished the moment the food arrived.
No—he actually ended up agreeing.
‘The Lord has every right to be alarmed.’
The food that came out looked like slop for pigs.
And in practice, it wasn’t much different.
At least, that’s what the people in the gallery said.
Title: What kind of food is this?
(Photo)
[Ugh, this or that crappy meme]
[Eternal stew?]
[Porridge that never runs out lol]
ã„´[Literally—when the pot runs low, they keep adding water and more ingredients so the contents never shrink. That’s why it’s called eternal stew or porridge that never runs out.]
ã„´[With that color, it’s been boiling for a good five years without the fire ever going out lol. Enjoy your meal.]
‘So it’s at least edible.’
Not that I wanted to eat it.
As I studied the bowl with an uneasy heart, I spotted a large chunk of meat in the stew and brightened.
It wasn’t the meat that made me happy.
I’d found an excuse to avoid it.
“I apologize, but I can’t eat meat, so I’m afraid I can’t have this stew.”
“Does the Church of the Flower Goddess have a doctrine against eating meat?”
“It’s just that I personally don’t eat meat.”
“That’s a hard life. No wonder you’re so thin.”
Margaret clicked her tongue and ordered bread instead.
It came out hard and dry, as if quite some time had passed since it was made, but it was still better than eating that long-simmered slop stew.
“Um, Priest Margaret.”
“What now?”
“Actually, I can’t eat meat either…”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The Lord kept glancing enviously at the bread I was eating, then finally took a spoonful of the stew.
But his expression soon relaxed.
Apparently, the taste itself wasn’t too terrible.
‘Well, if it’s been boiling that long, I don’t know about hygiene, but it must have some flavor.’
Still, I wouldn’t put it near my mouth.
“Ah, right. Priest Flawi.”
After a few spoonfuls of stew, the Lord suddenly spoke up.
“About the church construction. Do you have any preferred site?”
Come to think of it, he had mentioned building a church during our first meeting.
I’d been lost in other thoughts and hadn’t paid close attention, but any ordinary priest would have welcomed that offer with open arms.
But this gift looked like it would just give me a stomachache if I accepted it, so I shook my head and declined.
“The church is unnecessary. Instead, if you could erect a small statue of the Goddess in the city, that would be enough.”
That should have been an appropriate answer for a priest.
But the Lord wore a deeply unsatisfied expression.
“Just a mere statue? Don’t you also need a place for you to stay, Priest?”
And he wasn’t the only one objecting.
Margaret also put down her spoon in disbelief.
“If they’re offering to build a church for free, you take it. What are you being all modest for?”
Honestly, Margaret’s remark was surprising.
After all, this city was unmistakably the territory of the Church of the Earth Goddess.
“Wouldn’t it cause inconvenience for the Earth Church members if another faith’s foundation spreads in the city?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Margaret took a spoonful of stew, unconcerned.
“Anyway, on our side, aside from operating costs and the priests’ salaries, all the donations go straight to headquarters. Even if donations drop, headquarters will send whatever we’re short on. We’ve got nothing to lose.”
“Is that so.”
This wasn’t a church—it was a branch office.
The Lord brightened at Margaret’s unexpected support.
“Exactly. And Priest! The Earth Goddess and the Flower Goddess are mother and daughter, aren’t they? The Earth Church members will be happy to have a Flower Church too.”
‘For someone who looks like that, he’s well-versed in theology.’
In the end, I had no choice but to wave the white flag.
At this point, continuing to refuse would have been stranger.
Besides, if there was no friction with the Earth Church—my biggest concern—then there was no reason to keep insisting.
“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”
“Excellent decision!”
A smile blossomed across the Lord’s face.
He must have felt the stew tasted like honey now, because he lifted the whole bowl and gulped it down.
‘Speaking of which, a church.’
I’d planned to quietly take refuge with the Earth Church once my theological studies were done, but things were taking an unusual turn.
‘It won’t be hard. The citizens will stick with the familiar Earth Church and won’t come over here.’
But at that moment, I had no idea.
Just how naive that thought was.
…
The Lord said he had a pile of work waiting and left right after the meal.
As I returned to the healing center after seeing him off, Margaret waved her hand at me too.
“Alright, you head on back as well.”
“Are you sure?”
“Word that the Lord came has already spread, so no patients are coming today. Even if an urgent one shows up, I’ll be here.”
Margaret paused to think, then added.
“Still, let me know where your inn is before you go. Just in case.”
“Will do.”
Outwardly, I pretended to be disappointed, but inwardly, I was relieved.
There was still so much doctrine and scripture I hadn’t memorized.
Not to mention, I needed to learn this world’s writing system, so this unexpected free time was welcome.
I’d returned to my room at the inn, opened the gallery, and was studying when—
Knock, knock.
The knocking came from the lower part of the door, so it had to be the innkeeper’s little girl.
My guess was right.
When I opened the door, there she was.
But her expression was anything but expected.
Her face was twisted up, as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
“What’s the matter?”
A bit flustered, I asked what was wrong, and the girl finally broke down crying as she spoke.
“My brother got hurt. Hic…”
‘Hm.’
This was a familiar situation.
Back in my original world, once the neighbors found out I was a healer, they’d come knocking at all hours to have me look at their injuries.
Not a memory I missed.
“Is it bad?”
I shook off the stray thoughts and asked how serious it was.
“Yes… There’s a lot, a lot of blood.”
No time to waste, then.
I let the girl lead the way and hurried to the room where Sean was.
But when I actually saw Sean’s condition, I couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation.
‘All that talk about lots of blood, and it’s a nosebleed.’
…
“Wait outside the room for a moment, okay? I promise I’ll fix your brother up.”
“Okay.”
After sending the girl away, I approached Sean.
“Looks like you got into a fight.”
“…”
No response.
He kept his head down, staring at the floor.
“Aren’t you worried your mother would worry if she saw you?”
Only then did Sean reluctantly lift his head.
His face was a sight.
Blood was streaming from both nostrils, and one eye socket was bruised an ugly purple.
It wasn’t so much a fight as a one-sided beating.
“How did the fight start?”
I figured he’d thrown a punch over some trivial nonsense.
But Sean’s answer caught me off guard.
“That bastard called me a future orphan.”
“Hm.”
“He said my dad’s a mercenary, so he’d be barbecue for the orcs soon…”
‘He had every right to fight.’
Even Priest Margaret would have thrown a punch at talk like that.
I was at a loss for words for a moment, then reached my hand toward Sean’s face.
A radiant light spread as the nosebleed stopped and the swollen eyelid quickly subsided.
“Good fight. Even if you lost.”
“..He’s a year older than me. If we were the same age, I would’ve won.”
Well, a year is a big difference at that age.
If anything, it was impressive that Sean had taken on someone a year older at all.
Maybe that’s why.
It was unlike me, but the words slipped out.
“Want me to teach you how to fight?”
Sean thought it over for a moment, then asked back.
“But Priest, do you even know how to fight?”
..That stung more than I’d like to admit.